HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0755.019 2016-2018Ma 21 2018 09:29AM HP Fax 8083221649 page 1 P Co
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Col :QTY CLERK
�- COUNTS' of HAWAII
HAY 21 AN 5h 49
May 21, 2018
BIG ISLAND OCEAN GUIDES
Valerie T. Poindexter, Council Chairwoman,
and Members of the Hawai' i County Council
SUBJECT: Proposed Amendment to BiII No. 110, Draft 2; Proposed Operating Budget for Fiscal Year
2018-2019
*Decrease Tourism Promotion, Miscellaneous Contract Services account by $100, 000: reduces funding for
Contracts - Projects by $45, 000 and Tourism Marketing & Promotion by $55, 000.
Aloha Council Members,
I am a business owner in Keauhou Kona, Hawaii. We are a third generation family business and
have been in business since 1971. We have 50 fulltime employees and provide snorkel excursions
to our Island of Hawaii visitors and residents alike to Kealakekua Bay, approximately 95,000
customers each year. I am writing to support a change to the proposed budget, specifically the
proposal to cut the funding to our Tourism and Marketing island industry.
As I understand the details of the proposed budget it has a cut of $280,000 less than the funding
we have been receiving for over 10 years of $550,000. We need to fund our Golden Goose, since
it is our major industry on this island. Especially since the lava flow news coverage is devastating
the visitor industry here on Hawaii Island. We need the funding to counter the overly dramatic
news coverage and promote the accessibility of the island. We have experienced a great decline in
our customer counts already, and this summer could be effected by this bad news coverage
harming our industry greatly, cutting payroll hours for our employees which if prolonged will
affect their ability to shop, which would cut expected tax income to the state and county, possibly
causing loss of jobs altogether and then more homeless.
If we do not have the appropriate funding to promote our island and curtail the bad news
coverage we will get further and further in the red. We need to support our key industry of the
island, which creates the majority of jobs besides the public county and state government jobs.
Please reconsider this cut and rearrange funding to allow a healthy Tourism Marketing allowance.
We should strongly support tourism because that is what is supporting our resident's livelihood.
Resp ctfully,
Mendy Dant
Executive Vice President
Fair Wind Cruises
Kona Sunrise Charters
Keauhou Boating Ltd
78-6775 Makenawai St
Kailua Kona Hi 96740
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